Project Neopia
by TheVloggah
Summary: After discovering the long lost planet of Neopia, Jordan and Sonjya begin to adapt too well, becoming close to their designated pets. They must keep hidden in order to live out their lives in Neopia. R&R ;D Rated T for lang., violence
1. Breakthrough Discovery

This should have never happened.

I wasn't ever meant to own more than one pet. I promised myself from the very first day that I discovered this magical world… why did I go against my own convictions? Jerr was everything to me from the first day. He was destined to be my only pet, and my one companion here. It went completely against my purpose for coming here.

But I'm glad I did.

*buzz*

…

*buzz*

I awoke from my sleep. I can recall the day well, it was 8:25. I'd usually sleep in early on a Sunday, but my phone was vibrating loud against my laptop's keyboard. Using caller ID, I knew instantly that Sonjya was calling. Odd, because she never called on weekends. We knew one another through a research team where I worked. I was part of an organization. It sounds cheesy, but it's not your typical government entity. Unlike other groups like the FBI or CIA, we were in charge of investigation of a different spectrum. We discovered alternate worlds that we believed contained sustainable life. Known as SLOT (or the Sustainable Life Observation Team), our job was simple: Organize transportation to explore other worlds.

Unfortunately, today was going to be a lot different than the normal routine.

I answered, not trying to sound less tired than I was. "Hello?"

"Jordan, it's Sonjya. We've got to talk. Get down here now."

She sounded too serious for her gentle, care-free nature. This wasn't the fun loving Sonjya I knew. Something was wrong.

"I'll be right there."

Sonyja wasn't even in the building at the time when I arrived. My suspicions were aroused. It was pouring outside, why the hell would she subject herself to the elements like this? I didn't waste any time pondering. I got out, and she rushed straight to me.

"We've done it."

"Nice to see you too, Sonjya…" I replied, irked at her lack of formal greeting. "Done… what, exactly?"

"We found Neopia."

I was in awe. I had heard that we were close to creating a "portal" to this alternate world, but I was informed that it would take us at least another decade before any real plausible results would be compiled. My knees buckled, and I fell to the rain soaked concrete below. I stared at the ground for a good two minutes, attempting to comprehend what I had just heard.

"We found it. We really did…" I still couldn't believe what I was hearing. My hair was now drenched with rain, but I didn't care. I was in ecstasy over the news. It seemed that my life's goal had been accomplished, but Sonjya went on.

"And that isn't even the exciting part." She winked at me, and my jaw dropped. I knew what she was inferring. I got to my feet, took a deep breath, and followed her into the building.


	2. Five Years in the Making

"Dude, slow down!"

Sonjya's stride was far too fast for me to keep up with at my normal pace. I was jogging in order to stay with her. It was obvious that she was excited about her recent discovery, and who could blame her? We had worked at SLOT for almost eight years of our lives, and we've finally done what everyone told us was impossible.

"I know your excited, but I'm going to die if you don't wait for me." My knee felt as if it was going to buckle. I had been in a pretty nasty accident a few years back, and my right knee had never fully recovered. Sonjya turned around and looked severely apologetic.

"Oh, I forgot! I'm sorry!" She took to my side and threw her arm around my waist to support me. This seemed a little over the top, considering I could still walk on my own, but I enjoyed the attention. "Here we are!" I announced as we approached Lab 001. There were a grand total of 124 labs in the SLOT facility, and 001 was the first. Ever since we first opened our doors in 2004, Neopia was our prime objective. We knew it existed. It just had to.

"So, tell me what I'm about to see." I was curious, but I didn't want to jump into this. Sonjya chuckled to herself. "I don't think I can brace you for what you're about to experience." I was really excited now. Sonjya had a way of building things up, and never letting me down.

We entered the lab after a few minutes of biorecognition. This included fingerprint scans, retinal scans, and voice recognition tests. Pretty advanced stuff. The inside of the lab is dark. We have to keep it that way to avoid any possible factorizations involving light from occurring. We do, however, have "dark room" lights that glow an eerie red. But today, however, there was a large white light near the far edge of the lab. I knew instantly what this was.

"Really? You were able to isolate a PORTAL to Neopia?" I was stunned. Portals were way too convenient a transportation source for us to utilize easily. With other worlds we've found previously, they've required physical manipulation in order to even reach them. It looked too simple, but maybe it was just a lucky break for us. I mean, the average world took us about six to eight months to tap into, but to have worked on Neopia for almost six years, I think we definitely deserved an opening like this.

"So. Inform me, please." I turned to her and stared at her with deep interest. "Well, we've done it." She looked as if she was shaking from excitement. "We've isolated the entrance to Neopia. There are a few things you should know before we send you in."

I froze. "Wait. Send me in? We've never sent anybody directly from the team inside of a world we've discovered, due to the unknown nature of the travel and the possibility of death. "Are you serious?"

"I am." She replied, smiling. "I know how much this place means to you, which is why I haven't told anybody else about this discovery."

"Hold on." This was all moving too fast for comfort. "You haven't told ANYONE about this? Not even Proctor?" Proctor was our lead researcher here at SLOT. It was his word that determined what went on, which unfortunately included going to the bathroom. "You're going to be knee-deep in shit once he figures out what you've done."

"Not if we don't come back."

I didn't respond. My mind was trying to comprehend all that it had just heard at one time, and it wasn't quite registering. We… don't come back… haven't told anyone…

"Let me get this straight. You and I will travel to Neopia, via this portal, and we won't go back. Is that correct?" She nodded, still wearing that dumb grin. "Fuck." I couldn't think of any other words to use. Though my mind told me that this was a bad idea, something else told me to go for it. My life's work, literally, stood right in front of me.

"Okay. Let's do it."


	3. Preparations

It was preparation time.

"Alright, Jordan. You've spent the last few months on this part, so tell me what we need." Sonjya was referring to the tools and resources we would need in order to survive in the new environment we were going to encounter. I was more prepared than you could ever imagine.

"We should only need the shirts on our backs, for the most part. Their atmosphere is oddly similar to ours. In fact, it's scarily close." She looked at me, obviously intrigued by what I was saying. That's what I loved about her. With anybody else, if I talked this way, I'd be the nerd. With her, I'm a scientist. "Remember that your cell phone won't work, and neither will the Wi-Fi on your laptop." She then looked sadly to her Macbook Pro, which she'd had for years. "You can still bring it for documentation, though, it won't last very long on the battery."

She grinned again. "Just let me take care of that." She picked up her Macbook and set it inside of a rather large book bag that had been sitting across the room. It was weird that I never noticed it. "Okay then." I continued. "We'll be good when it comes to food. Neopia is like our world in that their food supplies are nearly unlimited."

"But will we be welcome?" Sonjya went from playful to concerned almost instantly. "I don't want to get there, only to be attacked by locals." I got serious for a moment. "I can't promise you anything," I began, "But I can tell you that I won't let anything bad happen to you." She smiled, which in turn made me smile. "So, for the most part, I think we're ready to go."

"Right now?" She asked, "But you don't even have any things for you to bring!"

I laughed, because I thought she knew me better than that. I took her outside and showed her the bed of my truck. She laughed. "You're always prepared, aren't you?" I nodded. Sitting in the back of my truck were three large bags, all containing everything we would need for the long trip.

Once back inside, I gave her the smaller of my three bags. She now had her bag and the one that contained the first aid kit. I carried the food rations and research materials, as well as some spare clothing for myself. I knew that she already had some. It was time, but I never expected it to happen this way. "Oh no." I just had a realization. "How are we going to close the portal after we enter it?" Sonjya was obviously way ahead of me, for she pulled out a larger device with some switches on it. "This remotely controls the portal's mechanics. The instant we're on the other side, I have to quickly shut it before we go out of range." I understood. It wasn't going to be easy; time travel via portal is the fastest form. But if anybody could do it, Sonjya could.

"I'm ready if you are." She sounded confident. I knew now that this was our destiny. We didn't spend the past five years of our lives searching for this only to not go. I took a deep breath, and took her hand. It was time.

I stepped onto the platform sitting in front of the portal. The "portal" itself wasn't exactly what you envision when you think of one. It's very box shaped, and bright. No colors, just white. It sat on the floor rather than standing upright, meaning that we had to fall into it instead of walk inside of it. Not to mention, the hole wasn't huge. Squeezing the both of us in there presented quite a challenge. We could go one at a time, but this technology is so unstable. You could literally end up anywhere. We had to go together. "Jesus Christ." I mumbled. "This sucks, eh?"

"We can do it. Just suck it in." Sonjya breathed in hard to demonstrate. I did the same, and we each took a step forward. Once on the ledge, we both made a tiny hop, and we fell into the portal.


	4. An Unlikely Savior

Portals are funny things.

This wasn't a portal. In essence, yes, it was. But the way we were transported was the most painful experience of my life. I could feel tugging and ripping of my flesh, even though I was in one whole piece. I could still feel Sonjya's grip against my hand, and it was getting tighter. She was obviously in pain. I wanted to do something to help her, but I myself couldn't think straight. There was also a "pressure" building. I'm sure it was all psychological, but it felt so real.

Then, there was nothing.

I couldn't open my eyes. It was far too bright for comfort. I was dizzy, and hurting more than you can imagine. My head was on the verge of exploding from a massive migraine, and my bones felt as if they had been shattered into millions of pieces. None of this mattered, though, because I didn't know where Sonjya was. I needed her, she had the first aid kit. For all I knew, she could be dead.

*rustle*

I froze. Noises. It took me a moment to slightly pry my eyelids apart, opening them to see… grass. An open field of grass. I could see now why it was so bright. The glass reflected the "sun" of Neopia. I'd have to get used to this.

*rustle*

There it was again. Determined to find the source, I got to my feet. I couldn't stand because my center of balance was grossly skewed. I wobbled, but I managed to keep upright. I heard more rustling, and I needed to know what it was. I held my head in pain, only to find that it was… wet. I look at my hand. A coat of red liquid has covered it. I'm bleeding profusely. "So…" I attempt to yell, even though my body had no energy. "Son… Sonjya…" I knew I was far too quiet for anybody to hear. The rustling got louder. I knew whatever it was had been close enough to hear what I had been saying, so it obviously wasn't Sonjya.

"Stop." I tried to be loud with my voice, but I couldn't project. I felt weak. "Get back…" The rustling stopped, and the only thing I could remember hearing after this point was "Well, this kid's slightly fucked up." I blacked out.

I awoke soon after, not aware of my surroundings. The smell of Lavender lingered in the room where I resided. The walls were a baby bluish tint, with white lines alternating. I felt an object in my hand. Looking down, I saw my cell phone. Instinctively, I dialed Sonjya's number and pulled it up to my ear.

"You aren't going to get any reception here, kid."

I flinched out of surprise, dropping my phone. It hit the ground, causing the battery to fly out. Something just spoke to me, and it wasn't Sonjya. I glanced over to the far side of the room, where a large wolf-like creature stood. Now, when I say stood, I do mean that he was standing on four feet. Paws, rather. You get the basic gist of the matter. I still couldn't believe that this "thing" was talking to me. It was Neopia, alright, and this creature was a Lupe.

"…hello." I was finally able to muster some speech. He grinned, chuckling to himself a bit. "You need your rest. I managed to stop the bleeding when I found you, but I think you've got a pretty nasty concussion. The doctor said that she would be here in about an hour to check on you." He was sturdy. He stood about five feet tall on all fours, which made him quite intimidating. He was an orange Lupe, which is uncommon in the Neopian world. Then again, I had never seen ANY Lupes before this, so I didn't have much room to talk.

"Th-thank you…" I was tired and couldn't think of anything else to say. Then it hit me. Sonjya wasn't in the room. "Excuse me…" I stared him in the eyes, and I began to tear up. "Is… is she…"

"Alive?"

He knew. I think he could tell how emotional I was at this point, and he seemed very sympathetic. "Yes sir, she's doing well. A ton better than you are, that's for sure." He laughed, audibly this time. I sighed heavily, relieved to know that she was okay. "In fact, she should be coming up here right now to see you. I sent her to go get herself some food."

Food. I needed food. I began to sit up in hopes that I could get myself out of this bed. I swung my feet over the edge and stood on my feet. I felt fine for a split second, but ultimately fell backwards onto the bed. The Lupe rushed over to me and aided me back into my bed. "Woah, slow down, Skippy." He definitely had a protective instinct, something that all Lupe's had. But he was different. "You'll be fine right here, and don't worry. I'm not leaving until your friend gets back."

"Alright… thank you, sir." I gave him a weak grin, and attempted to start conversation. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"It's all good, kid. The name is Jakobi." He stood boldly with his chest out now, trying to lower the tension. "I'm known as the local bum." I was surprised. Bum? "But sir…" I began, "You don't look like a bum. Nor do you really seem like one." He turned around and walked back to the other side of the room where he previously was. "Tell me about it." He said, "People usually don't know that about me. I've never had a home, or a family. Been a loner my whole life."

"So, like a lone wolf?" I asked inquisitively.

He grinned again and replied "Sure. Why not, a lone wolf."


	5. Reunion

I dozed off again, expecting not to dream. I've heard that directly after traumatic experiences, you can't dream. Whoever said that was lying out of their ass. This dream consisted of myself at home, eating a plate of waffles. I'm not alone, however. There's a dragon. I want to talk to it… but I can't. My mind is telling me to destroy it, but it seems harmless. Cute, even. It's talking to me. I can't hear what it's saying, though.

"mhhrfmm…" It's mindless rambling. Or so I thought. I could feel something blocking my ears. Fuzzy ear blockers. I didn't like it. I placed my hands upon the obstructions, and tried to remove them, but to no avail. They kept pressing harder and harder, as if to keep me from hearing something important. I tilted my head up to see what it could have been, and I was face to face with Jakobi. The orange Lupe looked into my eyes, and winked.

Then I woke up. There he was, covering my ears and smiling.

"WOAH!" I cried out. I began to flail around out of fear, only to be held still by the Lupe. Jakobi was now serious, trying to get me calm. I didn't know how to be calm in this situation, seeing as my dream was becoming a reality. This doesn't happen. It just doesn't. "Wow, Jordan. Calm yourself!" he finally managed to keep me from moving around. "I was just trying to keep the vacuum from waking you up!" I looked up to see an Acara maneuvering a vacuum cleaner across the steel-coloured rug.

"Oh…" I felt like an idiot. Coincidence didn't sit well with me, apparently.

"Don't worry, Jakobi. He's like that." A familiar voice informed him. My heart began to race. I knew Sonjya's voice anywhere. "Jordan, you feeling better?" I smiled dumbly, but I didn't care. I was too happy to hear that she was alright. "Awesome, thanks." Jakobi could tell of my relief, and decided to take advantage of the moment. "I think somebody is a little happy to see you!" I knew what he was referring to. I'd never felt those emotions for Sonjya, despite our closeness. We were more like siblings. "It's not like that, Jakobi." Sonjya stated. I'm glad she did, that took away the awkward moment for me.

"Well then." Jakobi pulled his hat from the hanging rack on the wall and pushed the door open. "If you need anything, I'll be around. I wander the city, so I shouldn't be too hard to find." He didn't wait for a response. He was gone without a formal exit. I was slightly sad, seeing as he had saved my life and I couldn't properly thank him. I assured myself that I'd see him again. Little did I know how right I actually was.

Sonjya was talking to the doctor, who so happened to be the same Acara that was vacuuming earlier. She signed a few release papers, and we were good to go. I was told to go find a place to stay for a while. We didn't inform the doctor of anything that had happened today, so she assumed that we were from here.

"Well fuck." Sonjya was worried. "You're hurt pretty bad, and now we need a place to crash." I thought long and hard for a solution, when it hit me. It was completely obvious.

"Sonjya."

"What, Jordan?"

I smirked. "We're noobs." She didn't find this at all entertaining. "Really? Are you fucking serious? We're out in the middle of nowhere, and the only shit you can think of is 'We're noobs'?" She was furious, but that's what happens when you don't sleep for days. "Damn, I swear… sometimes you just don't think."

"No, Sonjya. I'm serious."

"How the hell are you serious? What does being a noob have to do with any- wait." She realized what I had meant. We were going to be noobs. With no experience in this world, we'd have no problems fitting into society. "There's only one thing…" She looked around, confused. "Where do we go to get our first pets?"


	6. Humble Hospitality

I think we had spent a good few hours wandering around town. Nobody wanted to confront us, mostly due to the fact that I had a not-so-attractive foot brace on. Apparently, I shattered my ankle when we landed here. It didn't hurt due to some interesting pain medication I was given. It wasn't anything man-made, obviously. It was a moldy pizza. One of the Wockys in the waiting room snickered at me, and I could tell why. It obviously wasn't meant to be taken for pain relief… but it made me so delusional that the pain wasn't on my mind.

"Sonjya, your boobs… *burp*… are looking pretty hot today."

"Wait… excuse me?" She looked at me with a disgusted look on her face. She caught on to the fact that I was obviously drugged. "What did they give you at the pharmacy?"

"Pizza. It was so good…*belch*" I felt nauseous. A sudden rush of illness came about me, and I felt as if I was dying. "No, not good. Bad. Bad pizza."

"Oh, shit. That damn Elephante… I knew she was a bit shady." She grinned, taking pleasure at my pain. I didn't blame her; I must have been a sight to behold. "Here's the NeoLodge, we can stay here for the night. Tomorrow, we'll go get our pets." This sounded like a great idea. Then again, being under the influence, I'm sure anything was good about now.

We entered the complex, gathering strange looks from the locals. I was walking slightly better now. I looked sickly, however, and I think the receptionist at the front counter could tell. She offered me a bottle of water. I didn't take it, and looking back, I should have. While Sonjya and the Xweetok at the counter were conversing about our story, I vomited into a trash can near the elevator. I didn't care how ridiculous I looked.

"Anyway, I'm really sorry, but I can't help you. Only Neopets are permitted to stay at the NeoLodge, and you don't even have your first pets yet." She seemed genuinely sympathetic. Sonjya was heartbroken.

"But, I do think there is something I can do." She picked up her phone, and Sonjya became hopeful. I'm not entirely sure how I can remember this, seeing as how I was slightly sidetracked, but I guess memory can be a lot stronger than one thinks. I could hear her talking to another female through the line. "…yes, two of them. Very nice. So do you think you could let them stay for one night?" She waited for a response, and smiled. As she began to scribble some notes onto a sheet of paper, she giggled with the person on the other side of the conversation and ended abruptly with "…and I'll see you at the bazaar! Bye."

Placing the phone back onto the receiver, she glanced upward to Sonjya, delivering the good news. "I've found you a place to stay for the night. I hope you don't mind humble living accommodations, dear. The Soup Faerie has agreed to host you two for the night." Sonjya sighed heavily out of relief, and I went back to the trash can for a second round of vomit wars. She came to my side and began to massage my back. I was so grateful that she was around, because I don't think I'd be alive without her.

We approached a small shack in the shape of a cauldron. A brunette wearing a spotted red bandanna was standing outside of the building, admiring a red Lupe from afar. We approached her slowly, not wanting to intrude on her "activities". She turned her head, and began to blush out of embarrassment. "Oh, dear… hello there! You must be Sonjya and Jordan. I'm the Soup Faerie, but some affectionately call me 'Soupy'…" She began to clean up the front of the shack, trying to impress us. It was a very interesting setup, to say the least.

"Thank you so much for letting us stay the night." Sonjya was very thankful for the generosity. "I wish we had a way to repay you!" The Soup Faerie, who by now had recovered her composure and was talking normally, chuckled to herself. "Oh, I'll find a way, I'm sure. We can always use some extra help here at the Soup Kitchen." She beckoned for us to follow her into her hut. We crossed the "dining room", which was remodeled from what looked to be a living space. There is a second floor to the building, contrary to popular belief. Apparently, it was a gift from her sister, Fyora. It's magically hidden to keep intruders from suspecting anything of value being held in the kitchen. It's where Soupy spends most of her time away from the actual kitchen.

"This is where the two of you will be staying." She opened the door to a quaint little room, with one bed and a small nightstand. "I hope you guys don't mind sharing a bed." Sonjya giggled, and I just shrugged. "Not a problem, Soupy. Thank you so much again." I was a lot better by this point, thinking rationally again. She left us to unpacking, closing the door as she left.

"Jordan."

I looked to Sonjya. "What's up?" She grinned widely. "You're my best friend. You know that, right?" I smiled back, because we loved each other. Not like a couple, but like siblings. "Yup. And you're my best friend!" I grabbed her and threw her to the bed. She picked up a pillow and tossed it at my head. It collided head on and knocked me back. It was a lot heavier than I expected. "You bitch!" She was now in hysterics, rolling around on the bed laughing. I emptied the contents of her clothing bag onto her, and she struggled to fight her way out. We spent a good half hour goofing off, until we were tired out of our minds. We needed rest, seeing as tomorrow, we would be changing our lives forever.

Hopefully, for the better.


End file.
